'DIVERSE STORYTELLING' SHORTLIST

the four recipients

Four grants of $2,500 have been awarded to the following projects:

QUEER SISTERHOOD PROJECT

This project creates a video resource about navigating the life in Australia as a queer refugee woman*. The content will be defined by women. The aim is to provide the information & support we wanted was there when we arrived seeking protection. There are two major outcomes. The resource is produced collaboratively from the lived experience point of view. It will also equip women with skills like project management, narrating etc. It will provide vital information for any future queer women seeking safety in Australia about existing support. Essentially it will tell ‘you are not alone on your journey’. This project privileges and foregrounds the lived experience of queer refugee women. It’s unique as we share what we think is an effective support and vital as it tells the world that we exist.

*The project is open to all people self-identifying as women and non-binary people.

'BITS AND BODS' WEB SERIES

'Bits and Bods' (BB) is a web series that talks to teen girls and non-binary people about sex, bodies, relationships and all the awkward bits in between. We focus on girls and non-binary people, particularly those who are same-gender or multi-gender attracted, as they live with significant stigma around their bodies and sexuality. Despite most sexual ill health occurring between 16 and 24, the two existing queer women’s sexual health projects in Australia aren’t aimed at teens. BB makes content that talks about things teens want to know, in the formats they want to receive it. We do this by supporting 20-30-something year old women and non-binary people to tell their stories. We’re looking to edit 65 hours of footage into twenty short (3-5 minute) thematic episodes that will allow teens to hear from people who have recently experienced what they’re going through without the risk of misinformation.

QUEERSTORIES: ALBURY-WODONGA

"I plan to run my LGBTQI+ storytelling night, Queerstories, in regional towns, starting with the Hothouse Theatre in Albury-Wodonga. I produce Queerstories (currently in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) because as a queer woman raised by lesbian mothers I'm passionate about queer culture and storytelling. I believe in creating spaces where we can hear stories we relate to and stories that challenge us. Each event, I program 6 LGBTQI+ storytellers, with a focus on our community's diversity. I've partnered with ACON's regional team for community outreach and at regional Queerstories events locals will be programmed, their stories shared with the wider community via the podcast. I hope to conduct a regional tour in 2019, and a successful event in Albury-Wodonga will serve as a positive case study when I pitch to other regional venues. I am excited about connecting regional and metropolitan LGBTQI+ communities through storytelling, fostering increased awareness and understanding." — Maeve Marsden, Queerstories

EVERYDAY SUPERHEROES

"Our project is a one-off event focused on using storytelling as a platform for building community and intergenerational connections in the Melbourne trans and gender diverse community. The goal is to help trans and gender diverse young people to develop positive local role models, to instil hope and reduce a sense of isolation. It will also provide an opportunity for older trans and gender diverse people to share their life experiences and lessons with the younger members of the community." — Pinchy and Tash, Brimbank Youth Services

SHORTLISTED PROJECTS

FAMILI ALBUM

FAMILI is an album that will consist of musicians and artists from the Pasifika region. Involving creators hailing from all ‍over Oceania, it is a collaboration project in which we write, record and produce original pieces reflecting the creativity ‍coming out of our community. FAMILI will involve personal pieces from musicians choreographers, performers, stylists, ‍directors and photographers alike. The final product, a 4-track album, will be accompanied by static and moving images rich in our contemporary culture. ‍The project's mission is to create a standard online medium that will be accessible for QTIPOC and the broader LGBTQIA+ communities around the world to connect to. Reclaiming the cultural aspects of our Mana (strength) through music and movement, this will be a platform capturing our unique and untold stories. The final product will create unique representation, shedding light on the creativity and narratives specific to the Pasifika queer diaspora.

'KIDS ON FIRE' SHORT FILM

'Kids on Fire' is a ten-minute coming-of-age drama about Em, a 12 year-old in-the-closet tomboy from rural Australia who must decide whether to stay in her conservative Evangelical Christian youth group or to go out on her own and be true to herself. This is Kirrilee Bailey's third short film, with their most recent film, 'Great Again', featuring a non-binary protagonist, being selected for the 67th Melbourne International Film Festival. Kirrilee was also awarded Best Emerging Filmmaker at this year's Melbourne Queer Film Festival with their short film, 'Allergies'. Like their previous films, Kirrilee will be working with a predominately LGBTQIA+ cast and crew for 'Kids on Fire' for greater authenticity, representation and meaningful involvement from the community.

BURLESQUE BY FORCE

Burlesque by Force is a one-human theatre show telling stories of surviving sexual trauma and the social stigma it can be connected to for groups within the LGBTIQ+ community. This show's purpose is to open up the consent conversation to queer lives. Our aspiration in applying to The Channel is to add to our investments in developing the show to polish up the show's production value, to engage AUSLAN interpreter Lynn Gordon to make our Melbourne Fringe season more accessible, and to add a post-show Q&A featuring thought leaders alongside creatives to discuss the issues presented in the show. ‍

"a gut-wrenching – and essential – dramatization...that is also vivid, demanding, and designed to shake you out of complacency" — Australian Stage Online‍"You cannot leave Burlesque by Force unchanged" — Adelaide Advertiser‍"intimate and confronting, but at the same time beautiful as it lays bare the contradictions of sexual behaviour" — Barefoot Review

POSTAL PODCAST

POSTAL is a podcast bringing the unheard voices from the Australian LGBTIQ community into the open. The marriage law postal survey had, and continues to have, a devastating impact on LGBTIQ people living in Australia. The open debate gave mainstream Australians a platform to discuss their views on a human rights issue – on the lives of LGBTIQ people and their families. Australians were given license to hate. Over several episodes, we will give a voice to those who have not yet been heard. We will hear from Felicity Marlow, who spearheaded the high court challenge. We will hear from the Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality Ro Allen. We will hear from people of faith, people of colour, people who are gender non-conforming and people who are multi-gender attracted. Our stories have value and our resilience is powerful. Help us to share and rebuild our community.